Over the past five years, Trust for Learning, a philanthropic partnership dedicated to expanding ideal learning environments for underserved children, and Early Milestones Colorado have worked together to scale up these learning environments across the state. Ideal learning approaches are models t…
I’ve witnessed remarkable changes in the early care and learning field in my role as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Director for the Community Innovation and Resilience for Care and Learning Equity (CIRCLE) Grant Program. This grant was funded by federal stimulus dollars and administer…
Colorado’s young child and family populations have become more diverse in recent years, representing various cultural and linguistic backgrounds and disabilities.[1] As such, early care and learning providers acknowledge the need to create inclusive early learning environments to serve the needs o…
From Phillips County on the eastern plains to Montezuma County in the southwest, rural grantees from the Community Innovation and Resilience for Care and Learning Equity (CIRCLE) Grant Program implemented innovative projects to address child care challenges. Grantees supported and expanded the early…
Family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) child care providers are a critical part of the early childhood workforce. They make it easier for parents to work, support their families, and contribute to the economy. FFN providers face similar struggles as those providers in licensed early care and education s…
After nearly a year of virtual meetings and calls, Early Milestones hosted seven in-person events across the state to meet with recipients of the Community Innovation and Resilience for Care and Learning Equity (CIRCLE) Grant. Our team also met with grantees along the way at their sites near Broomfi…
Spring brings longer days, warmer weather, and the chance to enrich young children’s education through outdoor play and learning. Time spent in outdoor learning spaces supports a child’s physical, social-emotional, and mental development. Research shows that young children with access to outdoor…
The COVID-19 pandemic forced many parents to leave the workforce to provide direct care and education for their children. More than 5 million children under the age of five in America live in a single-parent household, and 19% of Colorado households are headed by a single mother. As schools shif…
The COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately affecting working women nationwide, as highlighted in a recent report from the Center for American Progress and the Century Foundation. In late summer 2020, Early Milestones and the Butler Institute surveyed over 11,000 Colorado families with children unde…
